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Background@#Psoriasis is a relapsing inflammatory skin disorder that can affect the nails and joints. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) occurs in up to 30% of patients with psoriasis, leading to chronic articular pain, and impairing quality of life. Secukinumab is a human monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-17A that has been shown to effectively improve the clinical signs and symptoms of PsA. @*Objective@#To evaluate the effect of secukinumab on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Korean PsA patients. @*Methods@#We retrospectively investigated the medical records and psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores of 13 patients with PsA who completed the psoriatic arthritis impact of disease 12-item questionnaire (PsAID-12) before and 3 months after receiving secukinumab treatment between October 2019 and August 2021 in Yeouido St.Mary’s Hospital. @*Results@#At week 12, significant reductions in the total and each item PsAID-12 and mean PASI score were observed (p＜0.01). The mean decrease of total PsAID-12 score was 4.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.74∼5.86), with the greatest improvement observed in the item of ‘embarrassment’ (7.15; 95% CI, 5.59∼8.72). Of the 13 patients, 11 (84.6%) and 5 (38.5%) achieved PASI75 and PASI90 response, respectively. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that secukinumab improves the HRQOL of patients with PsA, implying a positive influence of secukinumab on patients’ physical and mental status in a real-world clinical setting.
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and lethal lung disease characterized by progressive dyspnea and irreversible loss of lung function. Pirfenidone is a novel anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory drug, which reduces deterioration in the lung function and prolongs progression-free survival in patients with IPF. However, ithas adverse effects including gastrointestinal symptoms, hepatic dysfunction or skin photosensitivity, and rash. Lichenoid drug eruption (LDE) refers to lichen planuslike drug eruption usually presenting symmetric eczematous plaques with a purple hue. To date, numerous cases of LDE due to various drugs and pirfenidone-associated photosensitivity have been reported. However, a case of pirfenidone-induced LDE has been very rarely reported to our knowledge. Herein, is a case of pirfenidone-induced LDE so that clinicians can be aware of the possibility of LDE when using pirfenidone.
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Bee-venom is composed of a variety of peptides, enzymes, and biogenic amines, and is demonstrated to have both anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulatory effects in human body. Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is a variant of pemphigus, which is a rare autoimmune bullous disease presenting with erythematous scaly crusted plaques. Although the exact pathogenesis was not identified, there have been three case reports of autoimmune disorders associated with bee-venom. In this case, a 64-year-old female was diagnosed with PF, which was developed after alternative bee-venom acupuncture therapy. We assumed that the bee-venom caused the diseases through a temporal relationship and its known immunostimulatory action. Herein, we suggest that physicians recognize the possibility of bee-venom stimulating the immune system and triggering various autoimmune diseases including pemphigus.
ABSTRACT
Bee-venom is composed of a variety of peptides, enzymes, and biogenic amines, and is demonstrated to have both anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulatory effects in human body. Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is a variant of pemphigus, which is a rare autoimmune bullous disease presenting with erythematous scaly crusted plaques. Although the exact pathogenesis was not identified, there have been three case reports of autoimmune disorders associated with bee-venom. In this case, a 64-year-old female was diagnosed with PF, which was developed after alternative bee-venom acupuncture therapy. We assumed that the bee-venom caused the diseases through a temporal relationship and its known immunostimulatory action. Herein, we suggest that physicians recognize the possibility of bee-venom stimulating the immune system and triggering various autoimmune diseases including pemphigus.
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Purpose@#To elucidate the brain’s intrinsic response to injury, we tracked the response of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) located in ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI). We also evaluated whether transduction of V-SVZ NSPCs with neurogenic factor NeuroD1 could enhance their neurogenesis in HI. @*Materials and Methods@#Unilateral HI was induced in ICR neonatal mice. To label proliferative V-SVZ NSPCs in response to HI, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and retroviral particles encoding LacZ or NeuroD1/GFP were injected. The cellular responses of NSPCs were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. @*Results@#Unilateral HI increased the number of BrdU+ newly-born cells in the V-SVZ ipsilateral to the lesion while injury reduced the number of newly-born cells reaching the ipsilateral olfactory bulb, which is the programmed destination of migratory V-SVZ NSPCs in the intact brain. These newly-born cells were directed from this pathway towards the lesions. HI significantly increased the number of newly-born cells in the cortex and striatum by the altered migration of V-SVZ cells. Many of these newly-born cells differentiated into active neurons and glia. LacZ-expressing V-SVZ NSPCs also showed extensive migration towards the non-neurogenic regions ipsilateral to the lesion, and expressed the neuronal marker NeuN. NeuroD1+/GFP+ V-SVZ NSPCs almost differentiated into neurons in the peri-infarct regions. @*Conclusion@#HI promotes the establishment of a substantial number of new neurons in non-neurogenic regions, suggesting intrinsic repair mechanisms of the brain, by controlling the behavior of endogenous NSPCs. The activation of NeuroD1 expression may improve the therapeutic potential of endogenous NSPCs by increasing their neuronal differentiation in HI.
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Background@#Trachyonychia is a condition characterized by longitudinal ridging, pitting, and roughness of the nail surface. It tends to be resistant to various treatment modalities, often leading to a clinically unsatisfactory outcome. Alitretinoin (9-cis-retinoic acid; Alitoc Capsule) is approved for patients with severe chronic hand eczema and has been shown to be effective for other skin diseases. However, only few studies have demonstrated the efficacy of oral alitretinoin for the treatment of trachyonychia. @*Objective@#We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral alitretinoin therapy for the treatment of trachyonychia. @*Methods@#We reviewed the medical records and clinical photographs of patients with trachyonychia who were treated with oral alitretinoin therapy between January 2016 and December 2019 in the Department of Dermatology of Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital. Photographs of the lesions were taken and evaluated at 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The severity of trachyonychia was assessed into 5 grades according to the roughness of the nail and the distribution of affected areas. @*Results@#Thirty patients (male: 12, female: 18) with a mean age of 51.5±11.1 years were included in the study. After treatment with oral alitretinoin at a dosage of 10∼30 mg/day, the severity of trachyonychia tended to decrease as the number of treatment sessions increased. The mean treatment duration was 6.9±4.1 months. The therapeutic effects were as follows. After 3 months of treatment, 88.0% of the patients showed partial remission, and all the patients showed improvement after ＞6 months of treatment. After 12 months of treatment, 20.0% of the patients achieved complete remission. @*Conclusion@#Oral alitretinoin therapy may be an effective and safe treatment option for trachyonychia.
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Background@#Psoriasis is a chronic condition that negatively influences a patient’s daily life. However, there is limited evidence on the changes in quality of life (QOL) of Korean psoriasis patients treated with ustekinumab measured using both dermatologic- and psoriasis-specific responder-based questionnaires. @*Objective@#To evaluate the effect of ustekinumab on the QOL of psoriasis patients. @*Methods@#Seventy psoriasis patients treated with ustekinumab were asked to retrospectively complete questionnaires about the effect of ustekinumab on their QOL before and after treatment. Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) were assessed on the basis of clinical pictures taken at baseline and subsequent visits. The QOL of each patient was assessed on the basis of the dermatology-specific Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and psoriasis-specific Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI). @*Results@#The total and all-domain scores in the DLQI and PDI decreased after at least four administrations of ustekinumab (p＜0.05). Moreover, disease severity was significantly related to poor QOL. Of note, employment status was specifically associated with DLQI scores while age was associated with disease-specific QOL. @*Conclusion@#The QOL significantly improved in Korean psoriasis patients treated with ustekinumab, suggesting a positive influence of the treatment on the patients’ subjective perceptions. Severe clinical features, unemployment status, and older age may lead to lower QOL.
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes axonal damage and demyelination, neural cell death, and comprehensive tissue loss, resulting in devastating neurological dysfunction. Neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPCs) transplantation provides therapeutic benefits for neural repair in SCI, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been uncovered to have capability of stimulating axonal regeneration and remyelination after SCI. In this study, to evaluate whether GDNF would augment therapeutic effects of NSPCs for SCI, GDNF-encoding or mock adenoviral vector-transduced human NSPCs (GDNF-or Mock-hNSPCs) were transplanted into the injured thoracic spinal cords of rats at 7 days after SCI. Grafted GDNF-hNSPCs showed robust engraftment, long-term survival, an extensive distribution, and increased differentiation into neurons and oligodendroglial cells. Compared with Mock-hNSPC- and vehicle-injected groups, transplantation of GDNF-hNSPCs significantly reduced lesion volume and glial scar formation, promoted neurite outgrowth, axonal regeneration and myelination, increased Schwann cell migration that contributed to the myelin repair, and improved locomotor recovery. In addition, tract tracing demonstrated that transplantation of GDNF-hNSPCs reduced significantly axonal dieback of the dorsal corticospinal tract (dCST), and increased the levels of dCST collaterals, propriospinal neurons (PSNs), and contacts between dCST collaterals and PSNs in the cervical enlargement over that of the controls. Finally grafted GDNF-hNSPCs substantially reversed the increased expression of voltage-gated sodium channels and neuropeptide Y, and elevated expression of GABA in the injured spinal cord, which are involved in the attenuation of neuropathic pain after SCI. These findings suggest that implantation of GDNF-hNSPCs enhances therapeutic efficiency of hNSPCs-based cell therapy for SCI.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Rats , Axons , Cell Death , Cell Movement , Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy , Cicatrix , Demyelinating Diseases , gamma-Aminobutyric Acid , Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor , Hyperalgesia , Myelin Sheath , Neuralgia , Neurites , Neuroglia , Neurons , Neuropeptide Y , Paraplegia , Pyramidal Tracts , Regeneration , Spinal Cord Injuries , Spinal Cord , Therapeutic Uses , Transplants , Voltage-Gated Sodium ChannelsABSTRACT
This study evaluated the microleakage of three restorative materials and three tricalcium silicate-based pulp capping agents. The restorative materials were composite resin (CR), resin-reinforced glass ionomer cement (RMGI), and traditional glass ionomer cement (GIC) and the pulp capping agents were TheraCal LC® (TLC), Biodentine® (BD), and ProRoot® white MTA (WMTA). Additionally, shear bond strengths between the pulp-capping agents and dentine were compared.Class V cavities were made in bovine incisors and classified into nine groups according to the type of pulp-capping agent and final restoration. After immersion in 0.5% fuchsin solution, each specimen was observed with a stereoscopic microscope to score microleakage level. The crowns of the bovine incisors were implanted into acrylic resin, cut horizontally, and divided into three groups. TLC, BD and WMTA blocks were applied on dentine, and the shear bond strengths were measured using a universal testing machine.The microleakage was lowest in TLC + GIC, TLC + RMGI, TLC + CR, and BD + GIC groups and highest in WMTA + RMGI and WMTA + CR groups. The shear bond strength of BD group was the highest and that of WMTA group was significantly lower than the others.
Subject(s)
Crowns , Dental Pulp Capping , Dentin , Glass Ionomer Cements , Immersion , Incisor , Pemetrexed , Pulp Capping and Pulpectomy Agents , Rosaniline DyesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Root resorption is an unexpected complication after replantation procedures. Combining anti-osteoclastic medicaments with retrograde root filling materials may avert this resorptive activity. The purpose of this study was to assess effects of a cathepsin K inhibitor with calcium silicate-based cements on osteoclastic activity. METHODS: MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured for biocompatibility analyses. RAW 264.7 cells were cultured in the presence of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B and lipopolysaccharide, followed by treatment with Biodentine (BIOD) or ProRoot MTA with or without medicaments (Odanacatib [ODN], a cathepsin inhibitor and alendronate, a bisphosphonate). After drug treatment, the cell counting kit-8 assay and Alizarin red staining were performed to evaluate biocompatibility in MC3T3-E1 cells. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed in RAW 264.7 cells to determine the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Biocompatibility results showed that there were no significant differences among any of the groups. RAW 264.7 cells treated with BIOD and ODN showed the lowest levels of TNF-α and PGE2. Treatments with BIOD + ODN were more potent suppressors of inflammatory cytokine expression (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The cathepsin K inhibitor with calcium silicate-based cement inhibits osteoclastic activity. This may have clinical application in preventing inflammatory root resorption in replanted teeth.
Subject(s)
Acid Phosphatase , Alendronate , Calcium , Cathepsin K , Cathepsins , Cell Count , Cytokines , Dinoprostone , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Interleukin-6 , Interleukins , Miners , Necrosis , Osteoblasts , Osteoclasts , Pemetrexed , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B , Replantation , Root Resorption , ToothABSTRACT
No abstract available.
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No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acneiform Eruptions , Dasatinib , Drug Eruptions , Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive , Pleural EffusionABSTRACT
No abstract available.
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BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder affecting approximately 1~3% of the general population. Ustekinumab is a recently developed human monoclonal antibody for psoriasis that binds to the p40 subunit shared by the interleukins IL-12 and IL-23. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of combination treatment with ustekinumab and topical agents in 30 Korean patients with psoriasis regarding different clinical parameters. METHODS: We retrospectively searched to identify patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis who had initiated treatment with ustekinumab between January 2012 and January 2016. Among them, our study was conducted in 30 patients with psoriasis who were treated with ustekinumab and topical agents for at least 16 weeks by analyzing their clinical charts and photographs. RESULTS: Overall, 16.7%, 93.3%, and 96.2% patients achieved PASI 75 response rates at weeks 4, 16, and 40, respectively. Furthermore, fifteen patients achieved 90% improvement in their PASI score at 100 weeks and five patients maintained their PASI score at 160 weeks. The efficacy of treatment with ustekinumab was different in sub-group analysis. Non-smokers enjoyed a higher therapeutic effect than did smokers. In addition, the therapeutic effect of ustekinumab was lower in the groups with psoriatic arthritis and nail psoriasis. However, it was not statistically significant. None of the patients experienced serious adverse events requiring the interruption of treatment. CONCLUSION: Combination treatment with ustekinumab and topical agents provides effective treatment results for Korean patients with psoriasis.
Subject(s)
Humans , Arthritis, Psoriatic , Follow-Up Studies , Interleukin-12 , Interleukin-23 , Interleukins , Psoriasis , Retrospective Studies , Skin , UstekinumabABSTRACT
Palmoplantar keratoderma is characterized clinically by excessive thickening of the skin and histologically by hyperkeratosis on the palms and soles. It can be classified based on inheritance patterns, causes, clinical presentation, and extent of involvement. Acquired palmoplantar keratoderma shows multifactorial etiology including exposure to certain chemicals or drugs, metabolic disorders, malnutrition, systemic disease, malignancy, dermatosis, and/or infection. We report a rare case of acquired palmoplantar keratoderma induced by malnutrition.